Pipes
by Tithe and Tethered
Summary: What happens when your life takes a turn for the worse? What choice will you make regarding it? A story about Bella's last day. AU for sure.


The bathtub was filling with water as I stripped out of my clothes. The heat of the bath water caused steam to fog up the mirror over the sink, and the condensation against the glass made little beads of water, which streamed down until they reached the counter, where they pooled into little puddles. The rushing of the water as it poured from the faucet was soothing to me. It was one of the reasons why I loved taking baths so much. The noise drowned out everything else, leaving me deaf to all other concerns but how high the water was getting.

"Two more minutes," I mumbled to myself as I stuck my toe slowly in the water to test the temperature. It was hot! I pulled my toe out quickly, placing my foot back on the carpet in front of the tub, which was supposed to catch the water that fell off of people's bodies when they got out. The bath mat was a light pink, accenting the black and white walls. The same furry material also covered the back of the toilet seat, giving it a cushion-y feeling. The bathroom as a whole was hideous, but that didn't matter. I wasn't here for the decor.

As I sank into the hot water, I mulled over the events of the day. My life depended on it. I had come to the end of my rope, and now seemed as good a time as any. I had heard that often people see their whole life flash in front their eyes as they are dying. My experience was different in the sense that my reflection on life happened sometime before my actual demise. The only reason for this being that I didn't want the last moments of my life ruined by such grim recollections. I wanted them to be peaceful. Not that I would be in any shape for happy thoughts, but at least it wouldn't be any worse.

Sitting in the tub, I took a few minutes to catalog my immediate surroundings, much as I had done with the rest of the bathroom. The tiles on the wall were black and white, and they reminded me of a chessboard. They extended halfway to the ceiling, and when I looked at them for too long, the pattern would swim before my eyes, making me dizzy. The tub itself was white, and though the bathroom was very clean, the tub looked rather neglected. There was mildew between the tiles, and the soap, which sat in a dish that was built into the wall, was so caked in that it took all my strength to pull it from itself, as it had softened and then hardened again in a pool of more soap. The faucets were old and rusty, squeaking in protest when I had tried to turn on the water. They were shaped like hearts, and when I turned them 360º degrees, the tip of the heart dug into my palm, pulling at the layers of skin. The shower head was silver, much like other shower-heads, with nothing decorative or special about it.

Reaching over the edge of the tub, I searched the pockets of my jeans until my fingertips came in contact with the cool metal. I pulled the razor out, and studied it in the palm of my hand. The metal was silver, and the blade caught the light, causing a pinpoint of glare to appear on the wall. I slowly slid the razor over my wrist, and it tickled my skin. The blood started to bloom from the creamy flesh, and I stared in wonder as my essence began to slip away.

The red liquid of my life slowly swirled with the bath water, and I smiled to myself. Almost done! But suddenly the memories flooded back into my train of thought. I winced as the images swarmed around in my head. The ache of broken promises. The sting of betrayal. The burn of scorned love. The loss of my soul. It surrounded me. Consumed my existence. I couldn't breathe anymore, but it wasn't from my slashed wrists. That didn't hurt anymore. My head dipped forward as I watched my soul slip out of my body into the crimson water. The pain of my emotions, plus the blood loss was more than my mind could take, so my body took over instead.

"Make it go away!" I screamed as I fell forward into my nightmares. I didn't want to die like this. Not when everything had been going so well. Couldn't I find peace in the horribly decorated bathroom?!

Finally, I slipped out of consciousness, losing what life I had left. The bliss from that final act was all I needed. A perfect ending, I thought. I didn't regret a thing as the last image I saw of life was the hand of the angel, pulling my soul from the murky red deathbed.


End file.
